2000 Mercury Mystique Mercury Mystique 2000 Mercury Mystique LS Sedan Sedan FWD Kansas City, MO/Cuautitlan, Me The Mystique comes standard with an emergency glow-in-the-dark trunk release, designed to allow a child or adult trapped in the trunk to open it from the inside. Two new exterior colors debut. Solid handling, four-cylinder or V6 engine choice, affordable price. Limited room for rear passengers, pedestrian interior. Since its introduction in 1995, the Mystique has been Mercury's counterpart to the Ford Contour. Based on the same platform, the Mercury has differentiated itself by having different styling and trim packages. But for all intents and purposes, the Contour and Mystique were the same car. The Contour and Mystique are still the same car for 2000, but there is an added difference: the Mystique is the only one to offer a four-cylinder engine. To avoid having the new Ford Focus steal sales away from the Contour, Ford has taken the Contour upscale, discontinuing the entry-level LX series. The remaining 2000 Contour comes only with a V6 engine. Customers looking to purchase a more fuel-efficient (and less expensive) four-cylinder should check out the Mystique GS. The Zetec DOHC 16-valve four produces 125 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 130 foot-pounds of torque at 4,000 rpm. The GS also comes with a rear spoiler, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, fog lamps and special floor mats. While we still aren't sold on the exterior look, the Mystique GS has plenty to offer the small-sedan shopper. The body structure is stiff, and the ergonomically correct instrument panel features legible dials and controls. The interior still receives some gripes, however. It lacks some of the refinement found in competing cars and Mercury has never been able to solve the lack of room for rear-seat passengers. The more upscale Mystique LS comes standard with the 24-valve Duratec V6 engine, which develops 170 horsepower at 6,250 rpm and 165 foot-pounds of torque at 4,250 rpm. Improvements over the LS include leather bucket seats, 15-inch alloy wheels, larger tires, a performance-tuned suspension, a 60/40 split-folding rear seat and four-wheel disc brakes on manual transmission-equipped cars. When we've been behind the wheel of V6-powered Mystiques, we've generally had a good time. The V6 is just one part of an equation that makes this car such an excellent purchase for the shallow-pocketed enthusiast. The real excitement of the Mystique's driving experience is the result of the car's excellent chassis, suspension and steering. Since its introduction, the Contour/Mystique platform has won plenty of awards and has received great press from automotive critics. In 1998, Mercury gave the Mystique an exterior freshening to make the car more distinctive in the crowded family-sedan marketplace. The Dodge Stratus and Chevrolet Malibu may offer greater interior volume, but for pure road-going thrills in a well thought-out package, the Mystique makes for a fun car at a great price. Chrysler Cirrus Honda Accord Nissan Altima Oldsmobile Alero 336,000 336,000 336,000 5Unlimited 8.5 sec. 138 ft. 0.81 6 2.5 liters V6 170 hp @ 6250 rpm 165 ft-lbs. @ 4250 rpm 184.8 in. 69.1 in. 54.5 in. 2769 lbs. 106.5 in. 39 in. 36.8 in. 53.9 in. 53.3 in. 50.7 in. 45.3 in. 42.4 in. 36 in. 13.9 cu.ft. Optional Standard Not Available Not Available Not Available Optional Not Available Rating = Not Tested Rating = Not Tested Average Good Poor Poor 15 gal. 19 mpg / 28 mpg 20 mpg / 29 mpg 285 mi. / 420 mi. 300 mi. / 435 mi. Insurance costs can vary greatly for this vehicle, depending on such factors as driver age, driver gender, teenage drivers in the household, driving records, theft loss data for your particular geographic region, miles driven per year, and other widely variable factors. Additionally, some companies charge a premium for certain makes and models, while others do not. $15,955 $17,540 7.35% $585 N/A 3% of the Total MSRP GS (5M): 2.0L I4 DOHC SMPI 16-valve engine; 5-speed OD manual transmission; HD battery; 130-amp alternator; front-wheel drive, 3.84 axle ratio; stainless steel exhaust; front independent strut suspension with anti-roll bar, front coil springs, rear independent multi-link suspension with anti-roll bar, rear coil springs; power rack-and-pinion steering; front disc/rear drum brakes; 15 gal. capacity fuel tank; side impact bars; front and rear body-colored bumpers; body-colored bodyside molding; monotone clearcoat paint; aero-composite halogen headlamps; driver's and passenger's power remote body-colored outside mirrors; front and rear 14" x 5.5" steel wheels; P185/70SR14 A/S BSW front and rear tires; inside under cargo mounted compact steel spare wheel; air conditioning, air filter, rear heat ducts; AM/FM stereo, clock, seek-scan, cassette, 4 speakers, and fixed antenna; cruise control with steering wheel controls; power door locks, child safety rear door locks, remote hatch/trunkrelease; 1 power accessory outlet, driver's foot rest; instrumentation display includes tachometer, water temperature gauge, trip odometer; warning indicators include oil pressure, lights on, key in ignition, low fuel; driver's and passenger's front airbags; tinted windows, power front and rear windows with driver's 1-touch down; fixed interval front windshield wipers, rear window defroster; seating capacity of 5, front bucket seats, adjustable tilt headrests, center armrest, driver's seat includes 4-way direction control, passenger's seat includes 4-way direction control; rear bench seat; front height adjustable seatbelts; cloth seats, cloth door trim insert, full cloth headliner, full carpet floor covering, simulated wood trim on instrument panel, plastic/rubber gear shift knob; interior lights include dome light with fade, front and rear reading lights, 4 door curb lights; steering wheel with tilt adjustment; vanity mirrors; day/night rearview mirror; full floor console, glove box,front cupholder, instrument panel bin, 2 seat back storage pockets, driver's and passenger's door bins; carpeted cargo floor, cargo light; chrome grille, black side window moldings, black front windshield molding, black rear window molding and body-colored door handles. LS (5M) (in addition to or instead of GS (5M) equipment): 2.5L V6 DOHC SMPI 24-valve engine; 4.06 axle ratio; sport ride suspension; 4-wheel disc brakes; additional exterior lights include front fog/driving lights; front and rear 15" x 6" silver alloy wheels; P205/60SR15 A/S BSW front and rear tires; remote keyless entry, power door locks with 2 stage unlock; ignition disable, panic alarm; variable intermittent front windshield wipers; driver's seat includes 6-way power seat, power 2-way lumbar support; 60-40 folding rear bench seat with center armrest; leather seats, carpeted floor mats, simulated wood trim on instrument panel; leather-wrapped steering wheel with tilt adjustment and passenger's side illuminated vanity mirror. 13B Power Moonroof $0 $0 13B Power Moonroof $530 $595 13K Rear Spoiler $218 $245 41H Engine Block Immersion Heater (LPO) $18 $20 428 High Altitude Principal Use $0 $0 429 Non-High Altitude Principal Use $0 $0 44T Transmission: 4-Speed Automatic with OD $725 $815 552 Antilock Braking System $445 $500 553 Traction Control $156 $175 585 Radio: AM/FM Stereo with CD and Premium Sound $245 $275 58P Radio: AM/FM Cassette and Premium Sound $120 $135 63B Smoker's Package $13 $15 91H Power Antenna $85 $95 B3E Regional Discount ($445) ($500)